The Broken Element
by Sacred Dragonblade
Summary: Things get lost. Things can be forgotten. But what happens to those who can never forget. To the ones whose hearts can't let go.
1. Chapter 1

Lloyd POV: Who would have thought being a ninja would be this boring. Nothing bad was happening so that means we weren't busy. I took the time to finally read some of the books I've been meaning to start. I closed the one I was holding and sighed.

I got up and was heading back to my room when I heard someone pounding on something in the training room. I peeked and saw Kai punching on a dummy.

I walked and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Just warming up." He said, not turning around.

"So you're going to practice?"

"Yep. You want to join?" He stopped and turned to me.

"Maybe later." He shrugged and started to stretch.

I probably should have joined him, but I just feel like pushing myself today.

After that I took a walk though Ninjago City. I had to wear sunglasses so I won't be recognized, another burden of the green ninja's popularity. I found myself in the park and sat down on a bench. I spent a good ten minutes there when my phone beeped.

"Hello?" I asked, answering the phone.

"Lloyd, you need to get back here. We have a mission." Nya answered. At least we have something to do.

I got back quick and changed into my ninja uniform. I found the others in the training room.

I walked and asked, "So what are we dealing with here?"

"At this point it's unclear. All that we do know is that a group has been gathering in the desert and it seems they have ill intentions. Lloyd, you will take the others with you and make sure that they mean no harm." Wu said.

I nodded and we all bowed. We all went to grab our weapons, but as Kai reached for his swords Wu said, "Kai, you and I need to talk. You will have to stay behind on this mission."

He looked up surprised, but nodded. They rest of us walked to the Bounty and Jay would not shut up about what they were talking about.

"Is he in trouble for something that we don't know?" He asked.

"Probably not. All he's done is train, eat, and hang out with Skylar from time to time." Nya said.

"Wu's probably just going to tell him to take it easy. He was training this morning too." I said and we left it there.

We took off and quickly got prepared in case of a fight.

**Sacred Dragonblade: Sorry if this was too short. But don't worry they will be getting longer and better from here. See you next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

Lloyd POV: As soon as we got there we placed the Bounty far away so whoever it was couldn't see it and sneaked it their base. It was hard to tell which way was the entrance. They had covered several places with stones and plant life.

"Okay. Looks like we're going to have to split up. Check them but try to not alert the enemy if you can." I said and we took off.

Zane was with me and we had no luck spot, suddenly Nya clicked on the com.

"Guys, I found the entrance. You might what to see this." She said, and she told us where she was.

We raced over and found where she was talking about. She was already inside, but left it open for us. We walked in and found her standing at a table in the room. The room itself was a simple room with several desk and racks that were empty.

"What is it?" Zane asked.

"These files. They all say the same thing. Something about destroying the last flame and some coordinates. Don't they look familiar to you guys?" She handed me at paper. I recognized them immediately.

"That where the Temple is!" They jumped when I said that.

"But we don't have aany flames at the Temple. Why would they think we have one?" Cole said, looking nervous.

We all went silent until I realized it.

"What if they weren't talking about a literally flame. What if they were talking about the one person that has the element fire?" I was starting to panic now.

"Oh my god. You think they're talking about Kai!?" Nya said, going pale.

"We got to get back. If they aren't here then they might be on their way now." Zane said.

We all dashed out and raced to the Bounty. After taking off we turned on the boosters. All we can hope is that we aren't too late.


	3. Chapter 3

Nya POV: I'm not going to lie I was starting to panic here. A mysterious group wants to kill my brother and we allowed ourselves to be lured away. I really hope that we are going to make it in time.

Soon we could see the front of the Temple and it looked okay.

We all sighed simultaneously. Now all we have to do is get Kai to a safe location. He might argue a bit, but it would be better than him dying.

I looked up and gasped in horror.

We were wrong.

We were late.

They got there before us.

And they were still here.

Wu and Kai were in the middle of the front yard surrounded by guys in full black uniforms with two swords. I could see how injured they were. Wu had two giant cuts on his right arm and several slashes on his chest. Kai's red uniform was even darker and a giant cut was on the base of his throat and blood was pouring out. They kept coming at them and they were managing to hold them back, but we could see how worn they were.

We pushed the Bounty as hard as we could so we can back them up. I didn't waot for us to land and jumped over the railing as soon as I knew that I wouldn't break anything. I pulled out my spear and charged at the nearest enemy to me.

I took down as many as I could and kept looking at Kai. He meet my eyes and smriked, for a second I thought everything was going to be okay. They both would need medical attention, but they both would live.

That dream was immediately destroyed.

One of them got back and stabbed him right though the chest. His eyes went wide and he slowly looked down.

The enemy pulled out the blade and Kai fell to the ground.

I screamed and threw my spear. He dodged and ran away. He just ran away! The rest followed and I wanted to chase after them so badly, but how could I leave Kai there.

I ran to his side and thankfully he was still alive. His eyes were shut and his breathing was shallow, but still alive.

"Kai, open your eyes! Let me know you can hear me!" I said loudly.

He opened one, but quickly shut it again and winced. The guys ran over to us. Cole and Lloyd went over to Wu and took care of him. Jay gently pulled away and Zane started to put pressure on his wound.

"N... Nya?" he whispered. His voice sounded tight and in pain.

"Kai, I'm here " I went to the other side of him and took his hand.

"Sorry... for not... making it longer. There... was just... so many."

"Save it. Just focus on not dying." The tears were threatening to fall.

"Can't... do that. I can't... feel... anything." his head rolled back and his chest didn't rise again.

"Kai? Kai?! KAI!!!" I screamed. The tears couldn't stop falling. I collapsed on his chest and sobbed.

This can't be real. My brother can't be dead. He's supposed to stay here with me. We have our parents back. We're supposed to be a family again. Why?! Why does everything have to be taken from us?!?!

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On the day of the funeral, it was still hard to believe, almost every single person we know was here. The only ones who weren't present was Master Wu, he was in the hospital, and Misako, who was by his side at his request. Skylar was by my side, but we didn't say anything. Mom and dad were standing at a table that had his picture on it.

It was a blur and I soon found myself being lead out by Jay. He took me to my room on the Bounty when we got back and sat on the bed with me.

"It will be okay. I will be at your side." He said and pulled me into a gentle hug.

I don't know if it will ever be okay again. How can I live my life without the one thing that has always been my rock?

??? POV: They manage to do it. I guess that tip really did work for them. Thankfully I have my power. Hopefully it will work.

"Bring him in." I said.

My three students brought forth his body. They had covered him with the wrappings as I requested. They placed him on the stone table. I cleaned his face, since there was still blood on him. Then I activated my power, which made my hands glow a faint grayish blue, and placed them on his chest. The energy circled his body for a few moments until it got absorbed.

As soon as it did he started to breathe again. His heart began to beat at a normal rate again. It was beating at such a slow rate it was no wonder that they thought he was dead.

Now comes the hard part. Making him feel whole again. It will take a lot of time and work. Hopefully they both will become strong once more.


	4. Chapter 4

Two years later.

Lloyd POV: Even after all this time I still have trouble believing that it happened. Wu was still in the hospital because he ended up in a coma. Jay and Zane both went to work with Borg, Cole taught several classes of martial arts, and Nya.

She quickly became obsessed with trying to find the group that killed Kai, but they disappeared right after they did without a single trace, and pushed the guys away when they told her to let it go. I didn't tell her that, so we do talk sometimes but not very often. I, myself, have been doing nothing different.

Since I'm the green ninja I have to the protector that Ninjago needs, even if I know that my head isn't in the game.

I was standing on top of a random building and staring out on the city. After the funeral they offered to put a statue of Kai in the park, but we all agreed that it wasn't what Kai would want. So we just simply put him next to his family's blacksmith shop. Ending where he started his journey.

I sighed and backed away. Just then my phone vibrated, it was Nya.

I answered it and said, "Hey Nya. Want can I do for you?"

"Hey. Get to my place. I finally have a lead." She said, and hanged up before I could answer.

This is the fifth time she has called one of us with the notion of a lead, however she did sound more hopeful.

Maybe this time she actually did have a lead.

I summoned my dragon and took off. She set up her base at the blacksmith shop, probably to be closer to Kai, and had multiple blackboards and papers pinned to the walls with information all about the guys that killed him.

When I got there I jumped off and walked to the door. After I knocked once she opened, pulled me inside, and shut the door.

"Finally. I thought you would never get here." She said.

She was wearing a plain black tank top and leggings. Her hair was slightly messy and her eyes were shape but looked tired.

"Yeah, sorry about that." She just shrugged it off and led me to the next room, her theory room, that's what she calls it at least.

"Okay, so what's this lead that you found?" I asked as we entered, still as messy since the last time I came in.

"Well at first I thought it was nothing, until I took a second look, here." She passed me a piece, Kai's release form.

"How did you get this?"

"All I had to do was ask. Anyway look at the time." She said and pulled out her computer.

I looked. It said 10:32, and that wasn't right. We received his body at 10:55. Normally it would only take five or seven minutes for us to get there. There was at least a good ten minutes missing.

"There was a delay, but what does that have to do with anything. It could have been just a mistake." I said, putting it down.

"That's what I thought too, until I looked at the security tapes. Look at this." She turned her computer around and pressed play.

Right at the time when Kai's body was released a doctor came out and a few seconds later a couple guys dressed in black with a large black bag sneaked in the room and came back out with the same bag.

"I don't get it. Why go through all that trouble to sneak in if you won't take something." I said, really confused.

"That's what I thought too. But I do have a theory and that's why I called you. I need your help with this next part." She said, closing the computer.

"With what?"

"I think these guys stole Kai's body and I need to check."

"You want to dig up Kai's grave."

"Yes. I want to make sure he's there." She said, putting on her black jacket.

"I don't know Nya. Maybe we can find another way." I said.

"This is the only way. Please, I can't do this alone Lloyd." She did look too tired to do this by herself, plus I was already here.

"Okay." And I followed her.

We put Kai next to the tree right beside the shop and craved his name into it. It took us a long time to dig his coffin and when we finally did I jumped down and looked back up to Nya.

"You sure you want to do this?" I asked for the last time.

"Yes." She said in the same determined voice.

I nodded and opened it.

We both gasped.

How and why.

Why would anyone do this?

The coffin that laid before us was empty and has been empty for a long time.

Kai was never put in the ground.


	5. Chapter 5

Lloyd POV: If Nya didn't have me in her crusade before I sure am now. Kai's body was stolen, and we never noticed until now. I would love to tell the others, but...

"You're not calling them!" Nya yelled at me.

She changed into her ninja uniform and I had just said that I was planning to tell them. My guess is that she was still mad at them for telling her to get on with her life.

"Why not? They're our team and they deserve to know." I counter argued.

"Because they weren't willing to try, and they won't now." She wasn't going to change her mind.

"Okay. Anyway what's our next move?"

"Well I was thinking. Where would be the best place to keep a body?"

"I don't know. Maybe somewhere you won't have to hide very hard if you want to do... ah... things." I did not want to get her upset again.

"Right... Well I've been checking out some maps and it seems that there are a lot of people in this area and it hasn't been completely mapped out. Maybe they went there." She handed me the map.

It was in the south west part of Ninjago and she was right. That part was really hard to travel in, and if you do want to go there it usually means you want to be left alone.

"Well it's a good place to start as any. I have my vehicle with me. It might be better to use that than my dragon with the weather conditions down there." She agreed with me.

On our way down there I was thinking. What will happen after this? I know that she will continue with this investigation if this turns out to be a bust, but what if it isn't? What if they are out here? We will catch them and finally put him to proper rest. Hopefully she will finally try to actually move on. Maybe by doing this I'm helping get her peace with what happened. I hope that's the case anyway. I don't want to know what her plan is if that isn't what she's going to do.

Finally we manage to get to the mountains, but the snowstorm that was plaguing the pass was awful.

"Maybe we should find cover. You got anything on the scanners?" I said.

"Yeah. Looks like something is just ahead."

"What?"

"Not sure. But whatever it is it looks like the storm is already pass it."

"How long until we reach it?"

"A few minutes. Max."

I sighed and pushed on. Despite the promise of this being over soon it still awful, trying to get pass all the snow.

Finally I saw what Nya was talking about. A huge temple-like palace was in front of us and it had no snow on it for some reason.

"Looks like we've got some to check out." I said.

"You've got that right." Nya said.


	6. Chapter 6

Lloyd POV: I would feel a whole lot better if the rest of the team was here with us. The place looked completely quiet and it had an aura that made me nervous.

Unfortunately I let Nya talk me into not calling them and we couldn't get a signal here, and that made me even more nervous.

"So what's the plan?" she asked me.

"Our best bet is stealth and staying together. It looks like that window is open, and that'll be our entrance." I pointed towards the southern area.

We parked near where we were and quietly ran.

Getting in was easy. What wasn't was the inside. Several slash marks and dried blood stains covered the walls and floors. Broken swords and other weapons laid next to piles of ashes that I didn't what to know what it once was.

"What the hell happened here?" She whispered and covered her mouth despite her mask.

I couldn't answer her. We continued down the hall and only saw more and more destruction. Finally we found a normal, somewhat undamaged, room with someone alive in there.

Though he didn't have much time left.

It was an older man in bed. His longish grayish black beard had drops of blood in it and his aged light blue eyes were glazed with dull pain.

"It seems like fate doesn't want me to die alone after all. Well come in, I don't have the power to hurt you. So don't worry." His voice was kind, but weak.

We sat on either side of the bed and I asked, "What happened here?"

"The enemy. They called themselves the Predators and they will finally have one of their dreams."

"What dream?" Nya asked.

"They have many dreams and one is destroying this place and all that share its happiness."

"You're still here. Maybe with our help-" I tried to stand up, but he gently grabbed my wrist.

"No point. My time has come and I will go perfectly content with what I have done."

"There has to be a way. You can't just be okay with dying like this?" Nya looked like she was about to cry. She has seen too much death.

"I have live a very long life and now it is finally time for me to rest. The last thing I can hope for is that those two can also find their peace." And he quietly passed.

Unlike with Kai, this man seemed happier with his end. It wasn't bloody or violent, but instead quiet and restful. I wished that Kai had this type of end instead.

We buried him in a field next to the place, but when we tried to go back it was gone.

"But how?" Nya asked.

"He must've had a power and that place was tied to it. Now that he's gone it couldn't exist anymore." I said, more to myself than her.

She didn't say anything and we went back to our ride. As we drove back I heard Nya tapping on the dashboard.

"You okay?" I finally asked, hoping that it would make her stop.

"Yeah... well no. I was just thinking about what he said." Now she was tapping her foot on the back of my seat.

"Well I think that he was talking about two that made it out."

"Maybe. You think they would still be alive? They would have to get through the mountains. And they are hard for even us in this thing to get through." I said, mostly focused on trying to get out of here.

"He made that place, maybe he also had a special exit." She seemed convinced of that idea.

"So we've going to continue investigating?" I asked, finally getting out of the worst of it.

"Definitely. I think that maybe we should try to figure out their plans. It might show clues of what their next move could be."

I sighed. She was completely bent on this mission of hers. Guess it's still not over yet, but at least now I'm sure that there is hope that we can find justice for Kai.


	7. Chapter 7

Lloyd POV: Almost as soon as we get into range of Ninjago City the communicator started beeping like crazy. Several messages from Zane, Jay, and Cole that all said the same thing: call them when I saw this message.

"That's weird. I let them know that I was with you, so why would they be calling." I didn't realize that I said that out loud.

"You told them? I thought we agreed that you won't." she sounded mad.

"When you first called. It was just to let them know that I had to leave." I said, trying to calm her down. Kai, I don't know how you did it, but I commend you for surviving as long as you did and not getting killed by Nya.

"Okay. Can you answer it now? I don't know how much longer I can stand that beeping." She said.

I tapped the button and Jay responded, "Lloyd! Finally! We thought you joined up with Kai in the afterlife. You need to get to Ninjago City as fast as you can."

"Why? What happened?" I was really confused.

"There was attack at Borg Tower." That caught me off guard.

"Was anyone hurt?!" Nya asked, jumping back up.

Jay took a few moments to answer, "No, thankfully, and we managed to catch on of their guys."

"And? What did you find out?" I asked.

"Nothing. It literally happened only a few minutes ago. How fast can you get back?"

"We can almost see Ninjago City, so ten minutes. Give or take." I said, getting ready to use the boost.

"Got it. We'll wait for you then. See you then." And he clicked off.

I heard Nya slide back in her seat. If that wasn't cold for the both of them I didn't what was.

"You don't think that the attack and that place are connected." I knew better than to ask her about Jay.

"Maybe. But there isn't much to go on though. Let's see what that guy says first." She said, clearly unshaken about hearing Jay again.

I nodded and hit the boost. It took us right outside the city before it had to turn off. We got there in seven minutes and raced up to Borg's lab. Cole, Zane, Jay, and P.I.X.A.L. were inside and the guy they caught was tied up and placed in a chair, unconscious.

"Guys! You all good?" I asked as we entered.

"Yeah. It was only a couple of them. And our best guess is that they were only foot soldiers." Cole said, not facing Nya. He was probably remembering their last encounter.

The guy growled when he said that. Guess he was awake.

"Look who is up. You can answer our questions now." I said, pulling up my own chair.

"And why would I answer any of them." he said, his voice mocking.

"Well I don't think you want to be placed in a jail cell. Unless that's what you would prefer?"

"If that is your best thing you can use to scare me. Then you will get nothing from me." His dark eyes dancing in cockiness.

"Well. How about this then? What do you know about the palace-like place in the mountain range." That surprised him.

"How do you know about that? It was destroyed when he died."

"He died only 15 minutes ago, and right in front of us." Nya said.

"How interesting. I bet that he was all sorry in the end. But it was too late for that. Now they will be please to know that he's finally dead." He sounded excited.

"Then tell us about them? I'm sure you will be eager to get back to them." I said.

"Nice try. Sure, I would love to tell them, but they have their ways. I don't need to tell them for them to know."

"Okay, if that's what you want. Though I wonder how they would respond to learn that you told us their location."

"I didn't and won't."

"They won't know that. All they will know is that we found them and we had you all this time."

That got him.

"You can't! I'll tell you what you want to know just don't tell them I talked!"

"Sounds like a fair deal. So why did your group attack?"

"Because of the technology. It would give us a unique perspective that we didn't have before."

"Okay. What's your group's name and goal?"

"Discord and all we want is our place in the world."

"And you thought that attacking a ninja, an old man, and a high profile target would give you that?" Nya said, crossing her arms.

"It would show that we are prepare to take it if you wouldn't give it to us."

I find that hard to believe. Killing Kai and attacking Borg Tower would only put a target on their backs, and that guy wasn't someone that anyone knew. They're doing it because they want to strike fear.

"Who are your leaders?" Cole asked.

"I only know them by the names of Screak and Howl."

"Did you cause the death of the fire ninja, Kai?" Nya asked. I could see that she was trying hard not to lose control.

"I wasn't there myself, but from what I've heard our leader, Howl, is the one who is responsible for his death."

"Why? Why did he kill Kai?" I asked before she could.

"Because of his power. It had reach a certain point where it could end us. He had to be taken out."

"Certain point?" Jay asked.

"I'm not sure what they meant by that, but it was important enough for them to end them."

"Why did you guys disappear after that?" I asked.

"First, it was to lay low so we won't get caught. However it became our way to avoid them."

"Them?" Zane asked.

"We don't know who they are and where they came from. All we know is that they are powerful, possess almost the same powers as our leaders, and wear blank masks and hoods."

"What power?" I asked.

He smirked and said, "The true power of darkness."

"Darkness. Why am I not surprised? The bad guys all say that they have the power of darkness on their side." Jay said, rolling his eyes.

"Well they didn't know the potential that darkness has. It's true form is much stronger than anything else you have faced. The true power of darkness is made from the darkest shadows that are created from the depths of Ninjago. It is and always will be a part of this world." He sounded excited by this.

"So won't these masked warriors be on your side too?" I asked. I don't like the ididea of true darkness.

"I don't know for sure. All that I know is that they haven't given themselves to it entirely."

"What?"

Before he could say anything else a dark red beam shot out and hit him. He choked out his last breathe and went limp. We all ducked down, but no other shots came out. Finally we came out and had P.I.X.A.L. scan the area where the shot came. Nothing, just an energy source that was close to the guy we had.

They knew he was talking and silenced him before he gave anymore. He was right. This enemy was more dangerous than what we faced before.

Sacred Dragonblade: Sorry for the late update. I didn't mean to take as long, but I was suffering from the worst of ailments.

The cursed writer's block.

Anyway, I should also mentain that my updates might remain spaced out though. The work I been having to do is increasing, and I need to put that first. I hope that you all understand and see you next time!


	8. Chapter 8

Lloyd POV: After that whole scene we had security and the police come in and they cleaned up the blood and body. They even managed to get a name, Dan Collins, and he disappeared over seven years ago.

After talking with the police we went back to the Bounty. None of us were talking and just stand in the control room. Nya and I filled them in on our trip. However, we could tell that they were still thinking about what just happened.

"So... that happened." Jay finally said.

Yeah. Guess he was right about ending him if he talked." Zane said.

"At least we got something out of him before... that." Cole said.

"But are we really going to believe this 'true darkness' stuff. We've seen darkness up close, so how is this any different?" Jay said.

"Maybe it's stronger?" Cole said.

"That's impossible though. The Overlord was literally pure darkness. Nothing can be stronger than that." Nya said, finally talking to one of them.

"Oh, we can talk again?" Zane asked.

"Yeah well. It's not like we can ignore each other." She crossed her arms and looked away.

"All we did was tell you to let him rest and we were wrong. You were right when you said they would come back." Cole said. Though with how he said that it was like he was frustrated still.

"Do you really mean that?" she snapped back.

"Of course. But you have to admit. You acted like a little kid when we last spoke." Cole said, glaring at her.

"So that wasn't my finest moment. But does it really matter anymore. We have more important things to worry about." She said, meeting his glare with her own.

"So just forget everything you said that day? That's not going to happen anytime soon." I could see the hurt written all over her face.

She stormed out and slammed the door behind her. Jay was about to follow her, but thought better of it.

"Did you really have to say that?" I asked.

"If I didn't somebody else would have. It was better to just get it over with."

I sighed and followed her. She was standing at the railing and staring down at the city.

"You okay?" I asked, walking up to her.

"Yeah. I guess I'm more surprised that someone didn't say something sooner." She sounded depressed.

"Well... just because he say that doesn't mean he's not willing to try. We all want to bring these guys down now. You're not alone anymore. I put my hand on her shoulder.

She took a deep breathe, but before she could said anything we both flinched. We both could feel the presence that was on board our ship. It was overwhelming and thick, like it was on purpose.

"Yes it is." Someone said above us.

We looked up and saw a figure dressed in black sitting on a sail pole.

We pulled out our weapons and took our stances, but whoever it was didn't flinch.

"Really?" the person jumped down and landed without making a single sound. Now that they were closer I could make out that she was a girl.

Her suit was a black jumpsuit under a close fitting black jacket with the hood up, and dark silver buckles on her waist, upper arms, and around her wrists. Thick black boots that go up to right below her knees. I know that the guy said that they wear blank masks, but he was mistaken. Her mask had white fanged teeth on it. Her eyes with a powerful white and they seem to pop out because of the black around them.

"Don't you think that it's pointless to bring weapons to a talk?" she said, completely unfazed by us.

"How do we know that you won't attack any second." I said, not backing down.

She disappeared for a second then she was behind me.

She grabbed my shoulders and said, "If I wanted to I already would have."

At this point the guys came out, but stopped in their tracks when they saw what was happening. She sighed and pushed away from me.

"So are you ready to talk now?" she asked.

Whoever this was she is powerful. She could take all of us out easily, but she was right. She could've done that sooner and without making herself known.

"Fine. What do you talk about." I put my sword away, but still on guard.

She still had her back to us when she said, "About you looking into Discord."

"Why do you care about that? Are you in Discord?" Nya said.

"No, but I do have a connection to them. But you should sever yours. If you want to stay alive." She turned back to us.

"We have unfinished business with them, so no." Jay said.

"I could care less about your business. We just don't want you to get in the way."

"How could we possibly get in the way?" I said.

"You couldn't react to me. How can you hope to react to them. So stay on your little boat and out of the way, okay?"

I didn't even have to think about my answer.

"No way. This is our fight and we're going to finish it." I said in my most determined voice. The guys all nodded their heads in agreement.

She sighed and said something I couldn't hear. However, before any of us could say anything a sword materialized in her hand and she sliced our ast in half.

"What are you doing?!" Nya yelled.

"Keeping you grounded." She said. She sliced the air next to her and a portal appeared. She walked through it and it disappeared.

We managed to get to the controls before we crashed and landed somewhat safely. Nya and Jay took a look at the mast. They said that some parts had turned black and dissolved in their hands. In order to rebuild it we would have to get a whole new mast. There is no way that a single sword strike could have done damage like that. The girl must have some kind of power, one that I've never seen before, and I have a feeling that this was only a warning.

And that warning is clear.

Stay down or I'll make you.

If this was only one of the duo then I'm not sure I want to meet the other one. We were in the control room as we did a system check. The ship, other than the mast, was in good condition and all systems were functional. But I was worried. If we do keep looking we'll end up in dangerous waters. And I don't want to lose any more friends.

"Okay. Does anyone else want to talk about what just happened?" Jay asked.

"Yeah. We got blind-sided that's what happened." Cole said, crossing his arms.

"Who was that anyway?" Nya asked.

"Most likely one of those masked individuals that the guy was talking about, though he never mentioned how strong they really were." Zane said, standing next to the main computer.

"Yeah. The question is, why do they want us grounded?" I said, putting my worries aside.

"Maybe they have their own plan on how to deal with them." Jay said.

"That's a strong possibility. But the bigger question is, why did only one of them show up?" Cole said.

"Good point. If they wanted to make a stronger impression why not have both of them here?" I said.

"Maybe they thought one was enough?" Jay said, sounding unsure.

We all thought about that, but no one said anything else. It didn't sound right, but we were flying blind already. Nya had gathered some information, but not a single thing mentioned anything about masked warriors anywhere.

This whole situation is very confusing and I have a feeling that it will only get more confusing before this is all over.


	9. Chapter 9

Lloyd POV: After ordering a new mast we all agreed that it was time to go to sleep. I walked to my room and crawled into bed. I passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I found myself back at the temple. None of us have been back here since that day, but how did I get here in the first place?

I turned and saw... Kai? He was just standing in the middle of the ground with his back facing me. I ran up to him and grabbed his shoulder, but before I could say anything he fell on top of me, covered in blood. His eyes were closed and had blood dripping from them. The giant stab wound was dominating his chest.

I froze at the sight, he didn't look like this earlier. I slowly pushed him off me, before grabbing my arm. He opened his blood red eyes and tried to say something, but he dissolved into ash. I tried to stop it and keep him together until someone grabbed my shoulder and pulled me away, it was the masked girl.

"That is pointless." She said in a hollow voice.

"But I can't just let him die again!"

"You can't help him. You're not strong enough."

"I have to be strong enough. My team count on me!" I pushed away from her.

"Still doesn't change the fact that you are weak." She got really close to me, but that didn't matter since I was suddenly falling.

I woke up in a start, panting hard. That was one of the worst nightmares I've ever had. I flopped back and took deep breaths, and once I calmed down I check the time: 6:57.

Well, at least I didn't wake up in the middle of the night. I got up and dressed. After eating breakfast alone I decided that I would visit Wu and my mom.

Ever since that day my mom has lived in a small apartment next to the hospital so she could help take care of Sensei.

It has been a while since I talked to either of them. The new mast wouldn't be here until late in the afternoon, so I had plenty of time before then.

I left a note, took my motorcycle, and left. We weren't that far from the city so the drive wasn't that long and the hospital wasn't that busy. Wu was placed in a special room and we could walk in without having to sign in, due to a favor Borg pulled for us.

Mom wasn't here and the nurses were done checking him and were leaving when I walked in. I grabbed the chair in the corner and sat down. Sensei was lying in the bed like he was just asleep. If I didn't know better I would wait until he woke up so I could ask his advice.

"Hey, Sensei. I hope that you're doing better today. The doctors say that your brain wave activity is strong and you might wake up at any time." I said after a few moments.

"You know. We're all trying hard here to fight whoever did this to you and..." I couldn't bring myself to say his name.

"Well you get the picture. I know that you can't do anything, but I just wanted to tell you that you have been really helpful these past few years. I don't think I could feel stable without these visits. So thank you."

I stayed there, thinking mom would be here soon. She didn't come, but I talked with a nurse that came in and said that she already left because she got a call.

I guess that I wasn't going to talk to her soon, so I might as well cut this visit short. though just as I was leaving I noticed someone suspicious.

It was a tall guy in a black hood and a white surgical mask. His hood was pulled down so I couldn't see his face, but based on his posture and the spot where he was sitting I could tell what room he was watching. Wu's.

I didn't know if he was a member of that group or not, but I wasn't going to take any chances. I pretended to leave and stopped at a spot where he couldn't see me. He got up not that soon after me and walked down the hall. He stopped for a second by the door to Wu's room. His head tilted a little bit and then kept going.

As he walked around the corner I followed slowly. I didn't want him to know that I was behind him. But, I don't know how, he must have find out because I lost him. I tried to find him, he was gone.

I went up to the nurse's station and asked, "Do you know that guy that was sitting here earlier."

"No. He came in, sat dodown, and then left." She said, looking over her papers.

"He didn't have to check?"

"I assumed that he was here to check on the same patient as you." She seems sincere.

It's not like she was wrong. He looked like he was watching the room. After thanking her I went to security and asked them to keep a look-out for him and stay by his room.

Now they were watching Wu. Yet another question to add to the list of things to figure out. Why would they watch a coma Sensei who can't hurt anyone right now? Even more confusion. Great.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sacred Dragonblade: I'm so sorry for disappearing for so long! I honestly didn't think I would be gone for so long, but I been having trouble making interesting chapters I think you will enjoy, plus the finals I just finished didn't help. Though the chapters might have to remain spaced out until I get back into a groove again. Sorry again and enjoy!**

Lloyd POV: After leaving the hospital I debated with myself on whether I should check outside in case he was still around.

Though probably not. Whoever that was, he was smart and skilled. There was no way he would stick around and run the risk of getting caught. He might not even come back to the hospital after this whole thing, but that's a big maybe. Upping Wu's security was the only move I could make at this point.

I walked back to Borg Tower, took the elevator to the roof, and got back on the Bounty. When I got back on I saw the others were training on deck, even Nya.

"You're back." She said, seeing me.

They stopped practicing and all asked at the same time, "How's Wu."

"He's fine, despite what happened." I said, handing them water bottles.

"You can say that again." Jay said, taking one.

"I'm sure that he'll wake up any day." Nya said, after taking a big gulp.

"I hope so. It seems like there are others interested in his recovery." I said.

"What do you mean?" Cole asked.

"Either the group or the mysterious duo are watching him and his room. One was there when I was leaving." They all gasped at that.

"Is security doing anything about it?" Jay asked.

"Yeah, I talked with them." I said.

"Will that actually help though? These guys are highly trained and, no offense to them, they're not." Nya said.

"Good point, but is our best option right now. We have work to do." Zane said, handing me a tablet.

It showed multiple red dots right outside of Ninjago City and based off the readings they were making something powerful.

"Well at least we don't have to go looking for them." I said.

"Yep, so what's the plan fearless leader?" Jay said.

"Well we should get well prepared before goigoing and we'll leave as soon as it gets dark." I said and they all nodded.

I went to my room and looked at the sword that I hung on the wall. The one that belonged to Kai.

It was the one that didn't snap that day, though chips of the edge were either gone or nearly falling off. The hilt was loose, but I didn't want to ffix it. At least not until I know that he can rest easy.

After getting dressed in my uniform I went over to it and gently touch it, carefully so I didn't cut myself.

In these past few years all I've been trying to keep the team from falling even more apart and watching over the city. I didn't realize that I hadn't grieved for Kai at all since the funeral. I was trying to help myself. Nya gave me a reason to avoid the grief and I let it happen. I guess I wasn't ready to face the fact that he's gone too.

Not anymore. No more running away. Though we're definitely going to need a moment after this is over.

I quickly grabbed my gear and left. The others were ready and we went.

It took us a while but we got there around eleven. We didn't take out vehicles, so they wouldn't know that we were there. We still didn't know if it was the duo or the group yet, but better safe than sorry.

"Okay, Nya and Jay, head in at the east. Cole and Zane, you come in at the west. I'll come in at the north."

They nodded and left.

"Well seems like you have that leader thing down." Someone said behind me as soon as they were gone.

I quickly turned, pulled out my sword, and slashed. They used the armor on their arm to block it. It was the masked girl from before.

"So this is your place." I said, getting into a stance.

"As if. Too drafty. Although I don't seem to recall the ninja owning a place like this." She said, crossing her arms.

"Last time we talked you destroyed our mast."

"That was to make a point, though I made it quite clear. I don't want to hurt you unless I have to." She said.

"And we made it clear that we were finishing our business." I tensed up.

She sighed and rushed at me.She pulled out her blade so fast I could only blocked it. Her sword was long and curved perfectly outside her arm. Dark blue and black lines swirled like snowflakes were etched onto them.

"Just so you know, this isn't personal." She pushed me back and twirled her sword around to hold it normally.

"Funny I was about to say the same thing." I rushed at her and went for her side.

She flipped over me and nailed me right in the back. I kicked backwards and managed to land it on her leg. She buckled and fell back. I jumped back up and was about to stand over her but somehow she was able to get up fast and knocked me back.

"You're better than I thought. But it's not enough." She said and started to walk away.

I had only one option left. I took my sheath and threw it at her. I meant to get her in the back, but somehow got her head. It knocked her out and she fell forward. I checked in case she was bleeding. She wasn't.

"Sorry about that." I said as I made sure she was comfortable and I took off.

I lost a lot of time fighting her and they others were probably inside already. Thankfully no one from the group was close to where we were, so I don't have worry about her getting caught.

I manage to get inside and nearly landed on top of Jay.

"Dude, seriously." He said.

"Sorry."

"Did you just get in?" Nya asked.

"Yeah, had a run-in with our masked friend." I said.

"Aw. Wait. Is she on her way?" Jay asked. His hand edging towards his nun-chucks.

"Um... No, not for a while." I rubbed the back of my head.

"What did you do?" she said, crossing her arms.

"Uh... well... I may have, accidentally, knocked her out." I looked away.

"Of course you did." She said.

"You make that sound like it happens a lot." I said defensively.

"Whatever, shall we get going?" She said.

Jay and I both nodded and we quietly walked through the halls.

Masked Girl POV: Note to self: never turn your back on one of the ninja. I moaned as I got up, I was in a position he probably set me in.

"Told you that you shouldn't underestimate them." Someone said next to me.

It was my partner. He was dressed like. but his mask was blank unlike mine.

"I didn't I just never thought he would use his sheath." Though I have to admit he did get me pretty good.

"That's one about the ninja. They never fail to surprise you." He crossed his arms.

"Let's just stop them before they do something stupid already." I started to run and he followed.

Things already aren't going according to plan. Perfect.


	11. Chapter 11

Lloyd POV: Okay maybe we shouldn't come up with a better plan, because we are not prepared for what we just walked into. This place clearly wasn't their home base, but it was where they were making new weapons, and a lot of them.

Jay, Nya, and I snuck down the halls and saw rooms filled with all kinds of weapons.

"Guess they were planning that attack for a long time. They must've had back-up plans for their back-up plans." Nya said, looking inside one of them.

"Maybe, but this seems like too much to simply target one ninja." I said, joining her.

"I would have to agree with Lloyd. I think something else is going on." Jay said, standing by another door. Though right before we could say anything he leaned on the door a little bit and it opened.

Thankfully it only opened because of Jay and not a member of this group.

"The doors are sensitive guys. Fair warning." He said from inside the room.

"Thanks Jay. That will be useful." Nya said. We walked over and joined him in the room. The walls were cover with newspaper articles and photographs about reported sightings of mysterious figures. In the middle of the room was a table that was covered in papers and documents.

"They really like their research." I said, picking one up.

"You could say that again. And it's all mostly about Kai though." Nya said, examining the ones on the wall.

She was right. The article I had was about Kai's speech when we all thought Zane was gone. It was older than the rest, but the picture of him was still quite clear. The wave of emotions came rushing at me as I looked at it. I looked away, put it back on the table, and joined Nya at the wall.

"Guess they've had their eye on him for a long time. Some of these date back to the first Serpentine attack." Jay said, looking through the ones on the table.

"But why? Why is Kai their target?" Nya said in a strained voice.

"Good question. I'm sure it will be answered as soon as we get our hands on the leader." I said, patting her shoulder.

"Let's just go. The others are probably waiting for us." She walked out without facing either one of us.

Jay and I glanced at each other before following her. She was doing better since that lead turned out to be real, but I guess that she hasn't really been feeling better.

We continued down the hall, ran into a few guys but we managed to avoid them, and finally found Cole and Zane.

"There you guys are. You got to see this." Cole said, not moving from his spot.

They were up in the rafters and staring down. After joining them we saw what he was talking. They had gathered in a giant multiple floored room and a small stage was being formed on the middle floor right in front.

"Looks like someone is going to make an announcement." Nya said.

"Looks like it. Maybe the leader is going to show up soon." Zane said.

"We'll stay here until whoever it is shows up and, hopefully, reveals their plan. Hit them hard and fast, since we won't have the element of surprise for long." I said, preparing my sword.

Sure enough someone came out along with a guard following them. At the angle I couldn't tell if it was a girl or a boy, but they were clearly the leader. They group members stopped talking and waited for them to start. Once they go up there they both removed their hoods we saw it was a girl and guy.

The girl was slightly smaller, pale with thick dark red hair, and her hazel brown eyes were hard and filled with something dark. Her smirk was small, but clear as day as she looked over her followers. The guy next to her had the same look on his face, but his smirk was much bigger. He had more of a tan and instead of red his hair was more of a light honey brown.

"Attention Discord! We've had a successful few years. First, the death of the master of fire, then finding the location the sanctuary, and finally the passing of the Nameless Sage! Now, all that is left is finding our last enemies and destroying them." The girl said.

"Now is the time were we must close ranks and make sure that everything goes according to plan." The guy yelled after she said her piece.

The followers all yelled, 'Yes.'

"So the guy you met was probably that Nameless Sage they were talking about." Jay whispered.

"Most likely." I said, then looked at Nya. I immediately got worried.

She was trembling and glared so hard at the girl that I pretty sure she would shatter into a million pieces.

"Nya, are you good." I said, nervously.

"What do you think?" the rage was super clear in her voice.

"Please don't go rogue on us." Jay said. He moved to comfort her, but stopped himself.

"Why? Why can't I finally make them pay? Look at how they talk about killing my brother as if it's something to be proud of." She said, grabbing her spear.

"What he means is that there is no need to go alone. Let's all do this." I said, unsheathing my sword.

I hope you're watching Kai. Because we might need it


	12. Chapter 12

Lloyd POV: After agreeing it was time to attack the two, who I assume are the leaders, stepped down and started to walk away. We all leaped down and took out a small group of people that were below us. The leaders, I think their names were Screak and Howl, looked surprised.

Then she quickly changed to a giant smirk and said, "Well what do we have here? Some lost ninja with a death wish."

"You're going down for what you did." I said, before she could say anything else.

"Really, funny. That's what my soldiers told me the red one said before he met his end." that set Nya off.

She roared and launched herself at her, but was stopped by other members.

"Let's help her!" I said, and we rushed at the bad guys in front of us. Nya was facing too many on her own and was going to be overwhelmed soon. If we didn't get to her she would end up like...oh no.

"Nya!!" I yelled. There's no way I can get to her.

None of us can get to her.

Suddenly someone leaped down and took out some of the guys that were attacking her. It was the same guy from the hospital.

He continued to fight next to Nya while we continued to the others. The girl with the fancy mask landed next to me and said, "You really got into deep trouble this time, didn't you?"

"You could say that." I said, focusing more on the fight than her.

"This is why I told you to stay out of this. It's too dangerous for you ninja." she said, barely having any difficulty.

"And I told you that ninja never back down." I could barely answer her because of the fight. How can she handle them so easily? She growled and continued without another word.

The girl leader laughed and said, "Looks like our honored guests have arrived! Glad you make it" her smirk only grew larger.

The masked girl's glare only intensified, but didn't say anything. Suddenly another group of members bursted into the room. The two mysterious warriors looked at each then grabbed all of us and, somehow, easily took us to the floor closer to the roof.

"Get out as fast as you can." the girl said.

"We can take them. Don't underestimate us." Jay said.

"I'm not, but you aren't prepared to handle these guys." she said, through her gritted teeth.

"Then we're going to to stay." I said, quickly wiping my sword.

"Just stay out of the way." she said, and they jumped back down. They continued to fight with such speed and strength that I couldn't keep up completely.

"Maybe we should leave this to them?" Jay said, with a look of complete shock on his face.

"Can't. They need to pay for what they did. Right, Nya?" Cole said, facing.

However, she wasn't paying attention to us. She was focusing on the masked guy. He was holding two katanas and slashed mostly at their legs and torsos. However, now that I take a closer look, he does seem familiar. Like I knew him from somewhere other than the hospital. Nya, without a word, again, leaped to the lower level.

"Nya. Ah, come on." I said, and groaned.

"She really is going crazy." Jay said.

"Tell me about it." I said, still groaning inside.


	13. Chapter 13

Lloyd POV: Nya was trying hard to get to the masked guy by the looks of it. We tried to get to her but she was not even trying to fight any of them, just getting to the guy.

"What is she doing? She's going to get herself killed!" Cole said, sweeping a guy off his feet.

"I don't know. Let's just help." I said, kicking another guy away.

We continued to fight and so did Nya. Though when she was somewhat close to the masked guy he saw her. He pushed away the guy he was fighting, ran over to her, picked her up, and threw her up a level, but not before she, assuming by accident, knocked back his hood.

He fell back like he lost his balance, but quickly regained it in time to block a strike. His brown hair looked damp and unkept. His mask also had dark shaded goggles that were covering his eyes

I increased my speed and tried to get to his side, but something crashed and shook the whole building. So hard that everyone fell down. I almost went over the railing, but the masked girl caught me.

"Ah hell." she said. Was her mask slipping?

"What?" Cole asked, while he and the others, except Nya who was still on the floor above us, came up to us.

"That." she said, pointing up.

It looked like a power generator was on the roof and it was turned inward, directly at us, and all the doors were closing. Starting at the top.

"That, green ninja, was why we didn't want you or your team coming here. Someone activated the fail-safe." she said. Anyone could tell how angry she was.

"What does that mean?" Jay asked.

"It means that they turn all their outside defenses to face the building and in less than two minutes they'll fire and completely vaporize this place." it sounded like she was tired instead of worried.

"What!" we all screamed.

"Just come on." she said and they both dragged us to the floor that Nya was on, she still wasn't saying anything and staring at the guy, and we all started running down the hall.

After trying so many different ways and running into a couple of dead-ends we finally found an exit. We dashed to it, but a couple of bad guys tackled the masked duo, which knocked off their masks in the process.

She jabbed her attacker in the stomach and flipped him over her and looked at us.

Her hair was chopped, but a messy shade of deep lavender and her eyes were a bright mint green color that had ash smeared around them, making them to pop out.

The guy swung the bad guy off him and on the ground, that knocked him out. He also had ash smeared around his amber eyes.

I started breathing hard and I could feel my heart and chest become colder.

This isn't possible.

I can't believe that he's here.

And he's alive.

Kai.

However, before any of us could say anything more bad guys showed, this time with guns. They started shooting at us while the exit slowly closed.

"We need to get out of here!" Cole said, trying his best to block and dodge bullets.

Suddenly Kai and the girl grabbed us and threw us with all their strength. That managed to get us outside just as the door closed.

"KAI!" we all yelled.

Suddenly the Bounty appeared over us with the ladder hanging down.

"Climb on!" P.I.X.A.L. said, over the intercom.

Cole, Zane, Jay climbed up, but as I started to Nya grabbed my arm, pulled at me and said, "No! We can't leave him in there!"

"Nya, we won't be able to get in there in time. Our best chance is to get clean, so someone can help them." though not waiting for an answer I dragged her up with him.

As soon as we landed on deck Zane and P.I.X.A.L. hit the turbo engines and got us out of range.

"What happened? Zane contacted me on the emergency line saying that you needed back-up." she asked as soon as we were clear.

"That was before…" Jay started to say but stopped.

"What?" she asked.

"We saw Kai down there, and something has changed in him." Zane answered. P.I.X.A.L. looked shocked and didn't say anything.

"We don't know that." Nya mumbled, but we could all tell. There was something in the way he moved and acted. It was like he was a completely different person.

"That doesn't matter now. We just need to help-"

Just then the defenses launched and the building collapsed into itself with several explosions.

What is happening.


	14. Chapter 14

Lloyd POV: I still can't believe it. Kai was alive, but just long enough for us to watch him die again. I was on the deck, leaning over the railing. The building was a burning mess. No way this is happening right now. I found that I was panting hard and cleared my throat.

"You good?" someone asked behind me. I turned and it was Cole.

"Yeah. Yeah it's just… a lot." I said, turning back to the railing.

"Agreed." he joined me. We just stood there until Nya turned on the loudspeaker and said, "Guys, get to the control room now." and clicked off.

We looked at each other and walked in. Jay followed us and Zane wasn't far away. Nya was standing at the main computer with surveillance pictures of the building before it imploded itself. P.I.X.A.L. was next to her and she looked at us first.

"Look at this." Nya said before P.I.X.A.L. could.

She pulled up a photo of the building right before the defense fired.

"I don't understand." Zane said. Jay and Cole nodding in agreement.

"Just one moment. There." she said. She mofifted the picture to get closer. It was two people fleeing the building, but it was still blurring.

"What are you trying to show us Nya?" I asked, hoping that this wasn't the beginning of another obsessive hunt.

"One second." she said, sounding tense. She cleared up the picture and it was of Kai and his new partner. They got out before the building's destruction.

They're alive.

Kai is still alive.

"So he's good. Now what? I mean something has clearly changed in him or he would have come back as soon as he could." Jay said, staring at the picture.

"Yeah, but what also doesn't make sense is his friend. I don't recognize her anywhere." I said. It was the same woman from before.

"We search the database of several cities. She isn't from anywhere." P.I.X.A.L. said, showing us the numbers.

"Someone has to know who she is. She can't just be a ghost." Cole said.

"Agreed, but where is the question." Nya said, stepping back.

"Another question is why Kai stayed away all these years." I said, crossing my arms.

"Well he was injured. Even if they were the fatal wounds we thought they were still severe" P.I.X.A.L. said

"So he was taken before the funeral and taken somewhere to recover. Then went on a hunt to take this organization down with this mysterious woman without getting into contact with any of us." Cole said.

Wait.

"I don't think that's right. I think he did." I said, pondering over it.

"What?" Nya said, confused.

"Remember that guy I saw at the hospital? He was staring right at Wu's room like he was concerned." I said. It was making more and more sense.

"He visited Wu. That makes sense Wu was with him that day and they were having a talk too." Nya said, pondering as well.

"Okay then maybe he'll go back?" Jay said uneasy

"No, the police have his room locked down tight. There's no way he would risk it." I said and sighed.

"Then we're back at square one." Cole said. He looked frustrated.

"For now. The best thing we can do right now is try and get some rest. It's been a very long night and we need fresh eyes." I said.

They nodded and we all headed off to bed. After managing to get a couple hours I woke up feeling barely any different.

I sighed and got dressed in casual wear. After I did I got a phone call. It was mom.

"Hey sweetie. I heard what happened last night. Are you okay?" she said.

"Yeah, just a lot happened. It's hard to talk about over the phone." I said, sitting down on my bed.

"Well then it's a good thing I'm going to be stopping by soon. You can tell me then."

"Sounds like a plan." and I hang up. She has the best timing ever. I could really use her support right now.

She was true to her word. She came only 20 minutes after that call. She saw me and immediately gave me a big hug.

"Thanks mom." I said as we pulled away.

"No problem. Seems like you needed it." she said

"Definitely." even I could hear the tension in my voice.

"What happened on your last mission? You are really tense."

"Yeah a lot happened. We found out that Kai is alive." I tried to face her but it was hard.

"Oh honey."

"He's with someone, but we still don't know who she is and why he's staying away." I said. It was a little bit of a relief to say that to her.

"I'm sure that you figured it out. Do you know who the girl is?" she said, helping out as always.

"No. We looked through all databases but nothing hit." I said and took her to the control room. I pulled up the picture. Nya saved it.

I turned back to her to keep talking but the look on her face stopped me. She looked completely shocked.

"Mom? You okay?" I asked.

"Are you sure this is the same girl?" she asked, her voice uneven.

"Yeah I saw her myself. Why?"

"Cause I know her and she is dead."


	15. Chapter 15

Lloyd POV: Of everything that has happened in the last short hours I didn't think things could get even more confusing. But of course as a ninja everything is confusing.

"Mom, what do you mean dead?" I asked, looking at her.

"I just can't believe it. How did she survive?" She didn't hear me.

"Mom!" I said, trying to get her attention.

"Huh? Oh, right… Well, um, Lloyd. Did Wu very tell you how your father started to turn to darkness?" she said.

"He became power-hungry and tried to steal the Golden Weapons." I said, getting even more confused.

"Yes, that's true. But did he tell you how that started? At that certain time?" she said. Why did she look sad?

"The Great Devourer's venom."

"Not exactly. Of course that's how darkness entered his body, but the reason he started to give into it…" she stopped.

We all waited and she took a deep breath and said, "He started to lose it after he, along with Wu and I, watched his niece fall from a mountain during a fight."

If it was possible for all the blood in my body could freeze it would have.

"Niece? As in Wu's daughter. Wu had a daughter? And he never told us?" Cole said.

"Yes, with Mystake." another twist to this hard to believe story.

"They were in a relationship? How did they hide that?" Jay asked. Nya slapped his arm, but she waited for an answer.

"That's easy to explain. They're relationship was tense and brief. The only thing that kept them together was their child. Her name was, is, Mercy and she… She was so unique and talented. She was an amazing fighter and so spirited. There was nothing that she wasn't willing to try and no challenge that she wasn't ready to face." mom smiled slightly while talking about her.

"What happened to her?" Nya asked.

She walked to the window and, after a few moments, said, "We all took a trip to a mountain for a hike and got ambushed by some rogue skeletons. As we fought she led the leader away and caused an edge to crumble underneath him. What she didn't realize is that it also would crumble under her. There was nothing we could do. We were too far away." her head lowered.

That's a really good reason not to talk about it. If that happened to someone that I loved I probably wouldn't say anything either.

"Guessing from their behavior that we have seen. They didn't stay together after that." Zane said.

She nodded and kept looking outside.

"Well at least there's proof now that she did survive. That's good." Cole said, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"Yes, now we just have to find them." Mom said, turning back around.

"Yeah, that might not be as easy as it sounds. They have made it pretty clear that they don't want our help." Jay said.

"Well, too bad for them. They're gonna get it no matter what." I said.

They all nodded with me.

"But first. We have had a very long, confusing night. We need rest and lots of it." I said, ending with a yawn.

"A*yawn*greed." Jay said and we all went to bed. And, not lying, had a good night's sleep for the first time in a long time.


	16. Chapter 16

Lloyd POV: Knowing that Kai was out, alive made it easier to get some sleep without feeling uneasy. However, I still found myself waking before anyone else. I sighed and sat up.

One nice night of sleep would go a long way. Why must I have an overactive mind?

I checked the clock. Seriously?! It's only three in the morning. Curse my troubling thoughts for keeping me up!

I got out of bed, got dressed, and went out for a ninja run, hoping to clear my head. I really pushed myself hard and ended up on a random rooftop, panting hard. After I got my breath back I looked to my side and saw something interesting.

A hooded figure going into an abandoned building. That could be connected to what we're dealing with. I can't and won't let that go without checking it out.

I jumped onto the roof and found a way in. I really should have called the rest of the team, but it was early and they needed their rest. So do I, but whatever.

I managed to find a position of the rafters and saw the only functioning room in the whole building. Several pieces of equipment on a table. The person from earlier came in and took off their hood, it was Mercy. She wiped off the stuff she put around her eyes with a towel on the table, then leaned over it.

I jumped down and said, "Mercy."

She spun around and pointed her sword at her. Without the weird stuff on her face she looked more… alive.

"How do you know my name? And how did you find this place?" her voice was deadly quiet.

"My mom told me. Her name is Misako." I raised my hands.

"Misako is your mom." she looked really surprised.

"Yeah, and she's worried about you."

"Whatever. You still haven't answered my second question."

"I saw you entering this building." I said, staying right where I was.

"Dang it. I was careless." she lowered her sword slightly.

"Or, maybe, you wanted me to find this place." I said, moving forward a little bit.

"And why would I want that?" she asked with sarcasm, and lowered her sword.

"You know that you need help. Both you and Kai can't keep fighting this giant group by yourselves." I said, getting closer.

"Maybe not, but it's not like we are going to you, so sorry to disappoint." she said, and threw a smoke bomb on the ground. Taking all the things on the table with her.

They are not making this easy at all.


	17. Chapter 17

Lloyd POV: After Mercy's vanishing act I went through everything she did leave behind, which wasn't much. Just a few food boxes and blank pieces of paper. I sighed, but kept looking. There has to be something that will lead us to them.

Wait.

Food boxes.

That's it!

I picked them and looked at the logos. They were from a place outside of Ninjago City. They were closer than I thought.

I checked the clock that hung on the wall. Nearly 3:30. Still too early for the others, but maybe not for this place. It came from a place called Food Paradise. I took out my phone and looked it up, and as luck would have it, they were opening in 15 minutes.

I went back to the Bounty, quietly grabbed my bike, and rode out there. I drove at my top so I could get there before they had customers. When I got there a single car was parked behind the small building. A guy was just unlocking the door and stepped in, leaving the door slightly opened. Not worried about being attacked, are you?

I slipped in and waited for him to turn. He dropped his coat and put on an apron before he did. He jumped and said, "How the heck did you get in?"

"I'm a ninja and you left the door open." Closing it, making my point.

"Ah, right. I remember seeing you in the papers. I haven't done anything wrong here." he said, holding his hands up. He did seem scared, but not of me. He kept looking to another room and nodding towards the kitchen.

"I'm not here for you, just for what you know." I said and crossed my arms.

"What I know?" He asked, and lowered his hands.

I took out one of the boxes I took with me, showed him, and asked, "This is one of yours, correct?"

"Yes."

"Do you remember who bought this?"

"No, we use the same boxes for everything." he didn't sound certain with that answer.

"You sure?" I didn't want to be the bad guy, but I really needed this lead.

He didn't answer and fumbled with something. Right before I could say anything else, someone in the back room sighed and said, "It's alright Tony. I know him."

The guy came out and I had a hard time trying not to gasp in relief. It was Kai.

He also didn't have the mask or the black ash-like stuff, but he did have slight bags under his eyes. Mercy came out from the kitchen and leaned on the doorway.

"I thought I told you-"

"To stop trying to find you. But you know all too well that, Kai, that ninja never quit." I couldn't control the emotion in my voice very well.

"Lloyd, I know. You really think I would forget." he wasn't facing me.

"Then, why? Why are you fighting us so hard?"

"It was my idea to work alone." Mercy said.

"Um… I'm not gonna lie, that doesn't surprise me." I said, relaxing a little.

"So, now you know. You can leave with no worries." she said, coming closer.

"As if." I said, standing my ground.

"Lloyd there is nothing any of you can do to help us. We have to handle this by ourselves." Kai said. He didn't even seem like himself.

"Not until you give me a real reason why you really are running." I said, still not standing down.

He sighed and said, "You're just as stubborn as ever."

"Learned that from you." I said. He smiled a little. I had a deep feeling that he hasn't smiled in the years since the last time we saw each other.

But before any of us could say anything else something flew through the window, breaking it, and hit Tony in the forehead. He went down as we all duck. Mercy hid behind the counter and Kai and I were on the walls under the windows.

"What the heck was that?!" Mercy said, peaking at us.

"Bullet. Tony's out." I said, looking at the body. Damn, he seemed nice.

"If it's them and they found this place." Mercy said. Sounded like she was talking more to herself though.

They looked at me, then each other. They nodded like they just agreed on something.

"Come on." Kai said, grabbing my arm and started to drag me.

"Where?" I asked. I didn't get an answer.

They pulled me into the back room where a dark, swirling circle was hovering in the middle.

"What is that?" I asked as Kai let me go.

"You wanted your answers. Guess you're going to get them now." Mercy said, then pushed me in.


	18. Chapter 18

Lloyd POV: You would think portal-travel wouldn't make you feel as if your insides were trying to claw its way out of you. I slammed into the ground when I made it through and just laid there.

"Never again." I moaned.

"Then how are you getting out?" Mercy said, leaning over me.

"I'll walk." still not getting up.

"Good luck with that." she said.

I pulled myself up into a sitting position and looked around. We were in an empty, blank hallway. Kai was closing the portal behind us.

"Where are we?" I asked, standing up.

"Home sweet home." Kai said.

So this is where they live. It's not what I expected, but it is better than them being in on the streets.

They took me down the hallway. There were several empty rooms here and there that have nothing in them. Not much of an actual home.

"Where do you guys sleep?" I asked

"Nowhere in particular. Don't get much of that these days." Mercy said. I thought they might have slight bags under their eyes.

"Why not?" I asked, hoping that they wouldn't say because of Discord.

She opened her mouth to say something before, "Mercy! Kai!" It sounded like a little girl.

I was right. A girl with short blonde pigtails and bright brown eyes come running towards us. She was wearing a yellow t-shirt and white shorts with some flip-flops. Mercy squatted and picked her up when she ran into her arms.

"Well look who it is. How was your day?" she asked. She sounded relaxed.

"Good. Did you get dinner?" the girl asked.

"Not yet sweetheart." she said, not telling her about what happened.

She saw me and asked, "Who is that?"

"A friend that's visiting." Kai said.

"Oh, okay."

Mercy set her down and said, "Listen, we need to talk alone. Do you think you can keep your brother in the other room?"

"So I'm in charge?" she asked with a big smile.

"Yes. Can I count you?"

"Of course!" then she went off, squealing in delight.

As soon as she was out of view I punched Kai in the arm.

"What?" he said, rubbing the spot where I hit him.

"You have kids here? Why didn't you tell us?!" I was completely shocked, but at the same time not. Kai was always the protective type and Mercy, by the way she was acting, was similar.

"They aren't ours. They're the grandchildren of the elder that helped us, and we promised to take care of them when they attacked." he said, not looking at me.

"Helped you? You mean with your injuries?" I asked.

"... and more." he said that so quietly that I almost didn't hear him.

"More?"

Neither one of them answered.

"Okay. What is this place?"

"He gave us enough of his power to create a space where we could keep them safe." Mercy said, crossing her arms.

"Like the other place. But if it's made with the same power then why didn't this place disappear too?"

"It didn't because it wasn't tied directly to him. And he gave the power to us before he had to give up the rest." she continued.

"That's not possible. Elemental masters can't do something like that."

"He wasn't an elemental master. He just had a unique energy that he could control and create with." Kai said.

"Oh, that makes more sense. So he had two grandkids?"

"Yep. Lucy, who you just met, and Anthony. They're special kids." Mercy said.

"Meaning?"

They looked at each other and she said, "They also have unique powers that aren't elemental."

"Seriously? What are they?"

"Lucy can sense other people's sadness and grief while Anthony can sense pain and anger." Kai said, leaning against the wall.

"Those are unique powers." I took a deep breath. Suddenly realising how tired I was, but I'm not done asking questions. I continued, "What does Discord want?"

They looked at each other and nodded. Then Kai went over and opened a door to yet another room. Inside was a high-tech room with several screens.

"As far as we know they want to create artificial powers to manufacture and sell on the black market. They don't care what it is as long as it is strong enough to handle… the extraction process." Mercy said, pulling up several security feeds.

They showed several labs with people in lab coats, most likely other Discord members. There were human sized tubes that had many smaller tubes that did not look friendly.

"The extraction process? That totally sounds fun." but it also makes sense. A lot of people are interested in our powers and how they work. If Screak and Howl actually figure out how to reproduce them they could get a lot of money. But at the same time the wrong people could do a lot of damage with them.

"What's your plan to stop them?" I asked.

"Destroy their infrastructure before they perfect their tools. And/or get their hands on a strong enough power." Kai said, standing beside me.

"Not much of a plan." Good to know that some things stay the same.

"We're working out the details." Mercy said, turning back to us.

"But did it ever occur to you guys that if they could get into the last place, which was created directly by him then maybe they could easily get in here."

"We're extra careful. We have one portal open at a time and they are extremely hidden." she said.

"You're still exposed. It's just the two of you and you have no back-up. This is no place to live and it's clear that you guys haven't slept in a long time. How long has it been exactly seen you guys went to sleep?"

They glanced at each other then didn't face me.

"Exactly. You need help and we are more than willing to give it to you. Just let us." I was talking more to Kai than Mercy. I'm hoping that our friendship will help me get through to him.

Neither one of them said anything. I suppressed a groan and walked out. I continued down the hall. Do they really think they can take down an organization this big by themselves? Or do they want to die?

I groan and hit the wall, hard. It hurt, but at least it calmed me down.

"You shouldn't do that." someone said.

I turned fast and saw… a little boy? He had chopped blonde hair and black eyes. He was wearing a black t-shirt and red shorts. Right, they did say there was a little boy around here. I think his name is… Anthony?

"Yeah, just lost it for a second. Nothing to worry about." I said. His face said that he didn't believe me.

"You're mad at them, aren't you?" He asked.

"Huh?" Oh right. They said he could sense anger and pain.

"Anty!" someone yelled. It was Lucy.

She came from around the coroner and said, "There you are! I was wondering…" she stopped when she saw me.

She stared at me for a few moments, some awkward moments, then started crying.

"Wow, are you okay?" Why did she start crying?

"I'm okay. I'm not the one who's sad." she said, wiping the tears away.

"Then, who is?" I asked, remembering what her powers are.

"You, of course." she said, catching me off guard.

Was I sad? Of course I was. I wanted to bring peace to my friend and now he wants me to back off. Even when this is over I don't think things will go back to the way they were. Is it wrong to even have that idea? Despite knowing that not true.

"I guess that I'm a little sad, but it's nothing." I leaned down.

"No! It's not nothing." she said and stomped.

I was taken back, again, and she said, "If you're sad then say so! Don't be like them, always keeping their feelings inside."

"Them?"

"Kai and Mercy. They want to stop fighting and go home, but they don't because of Discord." she said. This kid knows how to take my breath away.

They do want to come back.

"Lloyd!" it was Kai. He was probably looking for me.

"Yeah, over here." I said, standing up.

He came over and saw who was with me. He said, "I thought we told you two to stay in the other room.

"I got bored." Anthony said. This kid is blunt.

Kai sighed. Guessing this isn't the first time that Anthony was blunt like this. Kai then looked at me and said, "Lloyd, I…"

"You don't have to say anything. I get it." he looked surprised.

"You do?"

"Not the lone wolves part, but I get the 'have to finish once and for all' part. But I'm serious about us wanting to help. ...Nya really misses you, as do the rest of us."

He looked away and, after a minute or two, he said, "I miss her and the guys too."

"Then we're going with him." Lucy said, with a big smile.

"Um.. well, uh. If Mercy is okay with it. Then maybe." he said. He was also taken back by her. Her carefree attitude is a power in of itself.

"I'll convince her." she said, then took off.

Kai and Anthony tried to stop her, but she was too fast. How is a little girl already faster than a highly trained ninja?

After a long time of her saying please to Mercy over and over and over… and over again she relented and agreed.

Have to hand it to Lucy. She is much better at getting them to agree to things than even Nya. Making a mental note of that for later.


	19. Chapter 19

**Sacred Dragonblade: Hello humans! I hope that you are all doing well during this time. I have some news for you all concerning this fanfic. The next two chapters will be the final chapters. This isn't exactly what I originally planned but there is another fanfic that I want to start writing. However I know that finishing the two that I still am writing first. Once this chapter is publishing the last should follow as soon as possible. Now onward with the chapter, totally didn't write this with a british accent in my mind.**

Lloyd POV: After convincing them to come back with me, with the kids, they were packing them up along with security tapes for the others to look at. I found Kai in the room we agreed to use. He seemed nervous, and I can guess why. The last time he saw the rest of the team, and his sister, he told them to get lost and left him alone. Guess he wasn't sure what he was going to say, and that is something I can understand.

I walked in and said, "Hey."

"Hey. You ready?" he said, trying to collect himself.

"Nervous?" I asked.

"Is it that obvious?" He asked, looking like he's about to groan.

"Yeah. Very." I said, and we both chuckled.

Then he sighed and looked away.

"If you're worried about what they will say you don't have to. They are just waiting for you to come home." I said. He nodded, but I don't think that helped him much.

He'll just have to see to believe.

"He's not ready to leave." someone said at the doorway.

We both jumped and saw it was Anthony. This kid is basically a ninja already.

"Uh, you could say that. When did you get there?" Kai asked.

"I followed Lloyd in, so the whole time."

"When were you following me?" I was so confused.

"When you got finished helping Mercy with her computer." That was a while ago.

At this point I am not surprised by this kid anymore. Lucy came running in and said, "Anthony! There you are! I thought you left without me!"

"How could I leave without you? You were with Mercy and she has the portal opener."

"Still!" she moaned, extremely loud.

Kai was trying very hard not to smile, when Mercy walked in and said, "Oh, again. Great."

"Is this something that happens often?" I asked.

"More than you think." Mercy said, and opened a portal with something that looked a lot like the Realm Crystal.

Once it was opened she cleared her throat and took a deep breath. Looks like Kai wasn't the only one that was nervous about going back.

Lucy must have picked up on that because she grabbed both their hands and pulled them through. Anthony sighed and followed, and I took up the rear. The portal landed us outside where the Bounty was parked.

Kai took a deep breath and said, "It's been a while since I've been here."

"Well then. Let me welcome you home." I said, he smiled back. Then Lucy punched him in the back.

"Ow. What was that for?" he asked her.

"You didn't tell me that you lived in a pirate ship! This could have been so much fun!" Then she ran onboard.

We followed her and saw that she has met Zane and Cole, who were training on deck.

"Uh Lloyd? Who is this?" Cole asked.

"I'm Lucy." she said. Then grabbed his weapon.

"Hey!" he said.

"This is so cool!" she said, then ran around with it.

Kai, Mercy, and Anthony came onboard and just moaned at the scene in front of them. This must happen a lot with her.

When Zane saw them he blinked and said, "Kai. You're back."

"Yeah. I am." Kai said, extremely nervous-like.

Zane didn't say anything, just went over and gave him a hug. Kai looked surprised then hugged him back. They let go and Zane said, "Good to have you back."

"Thanks."

Suddenly we heard someone running down the stairs at top speed. Jay yelled out, "Kai! Incoming!" Before he could turn around Nya crashed into him and said, "Kai!" and they fell onto the floor.

Mercy and Anthony looked genuinely concerned for Kai, and honestly so am I.

"You idiot. Don't you know how much I missed you." she said, still on the floor.

"..."

"Are you going to say something?" she said, almost yelling in his face.

"...can't...breathe…" he croaked out. Nya realized that she was squeezing him so hard that she was preventing him from breathing.

She got off him, helped him up, and then punched him hard in the chest.

"Okay, that hurt." he said.

"You deserved it, you knucklehead." then she punched him again.

"I'm assuming that is his sister." Anthony whispered to Mercy.

"I think you're right." she said back.

"Yeah another girl! I'm no longer surrounded by boys!" Lucy yelled, coming back around.

Cole grabbed his weapon, got it out of her hands, and said, "And who are the kids?"

"They aren't… um." Jay said.

"No. We were just charged with caring for them." Mercy said, before he could anymore.

"Ah, that makes a lot more sense." Zane said.

"Yeah. And you're not surrounded by boys, I'm here." Mercy continued, looking at Lucy.

"Yeah, but you act like an overworked desk person." Lucy said, with a straight face.

Jay choked and coughed at that, and Kai was trembling. I, myself, was trying hard not to laugh. Mercy looked annoyed and shook her head a little bit.

"Anyway. We have a lead on Discord and stop them, once and for all." I said, getting serious.

"Just getting back and already working." Nya said, with a slight smirk.

"Pretty much." Kai said, smirking right back.

"What's the lead?" Zane asked.

"Well, first. Let me just get these two out of here." Mercy said. Then lead Lucy and Anthony away, with a lot of commotion from Lucy I might add.

"Okay, ever since the destruction of their desert base outside of Ninjago City they have been pulling all of their members to their main base here. Probably to regroup and come up with a master plan." she said, pulling it up on a hologram.

She is really good with computers and stuff like this.

"That's a safe bet." Cole said.

"Is that why you guys stuck around?" Jay asked.

"For the most part." Kai said.

"You also stayed because of Wu." Nya said. He nodded slightly.

"What did you guys talk about when we left for that mission. If that's okay with you, of course." Zane asked.

"Just some training stuff. Nothing surprising." Kai said, crossing his arms.

"When will all the members be there?" I asked.

"This afternoon. Our plan was to go in and disable them. This is something that doesn't happen often for this long. We have to act fast if we want to end this in one shot." Mercy said.

"Then here's the full plan. Nya, Jay, and Mercy will head to the control room while the rest of us will distract the leaders until then." I said, turning off the hologram.

They all nodded and the rest of us got ready. I took Mercy to our control room to show her our computer.

"Nice. State-of-the-art system you have here. Connected to Ninjago City's servers?" she asked, looking over our screens.

"Yep. Also some satellites too." I said, hoping I don't sound strained. I know that she knows about Wu's condition, but I don't know if she knows about her mother.

Mystake is gone, for a while now. And she never got the chance to know that her daughter is still alive. She was a closed-off person, and I don't want to push Mercy away by telling her that her mother is gone forever.

"If you're holding back, don't worry. Kai told me everything." she said, not even turning back to me.

"Huh?"

"I know my mother is gone. Even before I met Kai." she turned back to face me.

"How?" I couldn't stop myself from asking.

"Well, technically I am the elemental master of energy. I honed in on her and found her as she was dying."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't…" how do you respond to that?

"It's fine. We got to see each other one last time. That's all anyone can ask for." she didn't seem upset about it. Guess she found her own peace with it.

Zane came in and said, "We're ready to go."

"Did you tell Lucy and Anthony?" Mercy said, crossing her arms

"Yes, and made sure that they will stay onboard."

"Good. did you lock the door in case?"

"Yes. Seemed like that was necessary."

"Oh yeah. You could say that." she walked out the door.

"I did say that." Zane said, following her.

I exited the control room and we went. Mom was with Sensei and I filled her in while we were running to the location. She wanted to talk to Mercy when we got back and she agreed. Though I could tell she was nervous about that too.

We got there Nya, Jay, and Mercy went on their way while the rest of us went to the meeting room, where all the members were waiting. There were a lot fewer members than I thought. Then Screak and Howl walked in and Screak said, "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. We have lost our only base in the desert to the two that have plagued our existence."

"Now we must remove them from the equation. At all costs." Howl said.

"Well then. Guess we should get it work?" Kai said.

"I was hoping that you would say that." Jay said, taking out his nun-chucks.

We dropped down and started fighting. We managed to take out several guys before their shock. Screak and Howl just stayed up there and watched us fight while we continued.

"Doing good over there?" Kai asked, blocking then pushing back a guy.

"Yep, you?" I said, slashing downwards, nailing a couple of guys.

"It's going swell." He took down his guy and was facing another.

"Hello!" Mercy said on coms.

"Yeah. Is everything okay?" I said.

"It's going great. Another than the fact that the whole building is going to explode."

"What?" we all said.

"What happened?" Cole asked.

"Jay pressed a button I told him not to press."

"It was flashing. You can not blame me." Jay said

"I can when the building is going to explode!" I heard a crash that I assumed was Mercy hitting Jay.

"That freaking hurt!" he said after a few moments.

"You deserved it! You guys have two, three minutes tops until you become ash on the ground, so hurry up."

"Got it. Let's go!" I said to the others.

We tried to leave but Screak blocked our way and screamed. Her scream caused us to fly back into the wall.

"What the heck?" Cole said.

"Did I forget to mention that they're the elemental masters of chaos and destruction." Kai said, brushing himself off.

"That would have been helpful." I said, getting back up.

Howl then came down and almost punched Zane into the ground. He moved just in time and Howl's punch created a hole in the floor. Kai blasted him with a giant fireball at him. He blocked and roared at him.

Zane froze the floor, causing him to fall when he tried to charge at us. Screak tried to scream again, but Cole threw a boulder at her, which knocked her out.

"Screak! You will perish for that!" Howl yelled, and stomped so hard he broke Zane's ice.

Kai and I mixed our powers and that managed to send him flying. He was knocked out.

We picked them up and ran down the halls. After the alarms were sounding the other members weren't interested in fighting us, and the fact we beat their leaders probably did put them off.

We managed to get out there right before it exploded.

"How many times am I going to have to blow up?" Kai asked, falling backwards in exhaustion.

"Probably not anymore. But never say never." I asked, sitting up.

"Great." he said. It was good to have him back.


	20. Chapter 20

Lloyd POV: The next couple days were really busy. Screak and Howl were sent to a remote prison that was extremely isolated. The remaining members were all questioned then sent to Kryptarium prison.

After all of that Kai took some time to see Skylar, since their parents weren't back in the city yet. When she saw him, outside of her apartment, she nearly collapsed in tears. Though after he explained everything she had the same reaction as Nya, punching and yelling.

They spent a day together, just hanging out and having fun. When his parents came back they had a happy, tearful reunion.

Mercy was different. She went looking for a close place for Lucy and Anthony. Despite Lucy's protests about how she wanted to stay. She found an apartment that was close to Skylar's place, and when she met them they loved her. Then she spent some time with Mom, catching up and having some girl time. Which I did not ask about for the sake of keeping my head attached to my body.

After that a surprise hit all of us.

Wu woke up.

And Mercy and Kai were extremely nervous about visiting him.

Mercy was trying to distract herself about messing around with the main computer and Kai was just pacing in a circle on deck.

"I think that they are nervous." Zane said.

"You could say that again. What are we going to do?" Jay said.

"Kai, I can handle. I'm more worried about Mercy. We don't know how to make her feel more at ease." Nya said, then walked out to talk to him.

"That's a question." Cole said, thinking.

"Let me try something." I said, and went to the control.

She was still working on the computer. Typing something really fast.

"Busy right now. Can't help you." she said, not turning around.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Checking your system and making improvements." still wasn't turning around.

"We'll be leaving soon, so you might want to stop."

She did, it was more of a froze, and said, "Oh."

"Why are you nervous?" I asked.

"Nervous? I'm not nervous. Why would you think I'm nervous. It's not like I'm about to see the dad that I haven't seen since I fell off that cliff. Nope, not nervous at all." She said, in a sort-of high pitched voice.

"Okay, just breathe. It'll be fine." I said, sitting her down.

"Fine is not the word that's rolling around in my head." she didn't fight me, and that's how I know something is wrong.

"Wu is still the wise and kind person that you remember. It will be okay and you deserve this."

She lowered and took a few deep breaths. Then she shook her head, stood up, and said, "Let's go."

Nya also succeeded in calming down Kai and we left. There weren't a lot of visitors today and the doctor was waiting for us when we got there.

"Right this way. He has been wondering where you were." he said, then led us to Wu's room.

As we walked they got more and more nervous again. And once we got to the room they just stood by the door.

"Why don't you guys stay out here and collect yourselves. We'll go in first." I said, and we entered the room.

Wu was still a little sick-looking, but he was much better now that he was awake.

"Ninja, it is good to see you again."

"And you too, Master Wu." I said.

"Has everything been good?" he asked.

"Sort of. Things have just settled down." Cole said, pulling up a chair.

"What do you mean?" Wu asked.

"The group that attacked you and Kai was recently defeated." Cole explained.

"Ah. And how is Kai? I hope that he wasn't too injured."

"Well. That's a long story. The short version is that we thought he was killed, but he wasn't and, with a lot of convincing, he came back with a certain someone that you used to know." Jay said.

"I see. And who is this 'certain someone?'" Wu asked, and none of us responded.

"Keeping secrets like this is pointless. Trust me, I know." he said, knowing us.

"Yeah, well. One second." I said, then went to the door. They both took a deep breath and walked in. Kai was first and Mercy was basically hiding behind him and me.

"Kai. It's good to see that you are well." he said, smiling.

"Thank you Sensei." he said, visibly calming down by Wu's response.

"Is Kai the certain someone?" Wu asked.

"Um, no, well." I tried to say. Mercy took another very deep breath then stepped.

For a good five minutes no one said anything. Wu looked extremely surprised when he got a good look at her. It was clear they needed a moment, so I got the others to follow me out.

Once Nya, the last person to leave, closed the door Kai exhaled and leaned over.

"Was it that bad?" Nya asked.

"You have no idea." he said. A nurse looked over, but shook her off.

We waited for a while until the doctor came and told us that it was time for us to leave. Mercy looked at peace when she came out.

"How was that?" I asked.

"Good. Very good." she said, even sounding at peace.

When we got back they sighed heavily and very tiredly.

"You guys okay?" Zane asked.

"Yep, just really tired all of a sudden." she said. It looked like they were about to pass out.

"I think I know why. You guys told me that you haven't slept since starting your fight against Discord. It's finally catching up with you." I said. Nya looked shocked.

Kai looked nervous, yet again, when she looked at him. She grabbed his arm, and Mercys', and dragged them to their rooms.

"Guess they're going to bed." Cole said, as we watched them.

"Yep." I said. I'm glad things are back to normal.

The end.


End file.
